Writing excellent comparative essays on poetry from the Eduqas anthology | English

Starter quiz

How many poems are in the Eduqas poetry anthology?

15

16

17

18 ✓
Who wrote the poem 'London'?

Wilfred Owen

Thomas Hardy

William Blake ✓

Owen Sheers
Which poem featured in the Eduqas anthology was written by a Romantic poet after a significant encounter at a party?

'Sonnet 43'

'She Walks in Beauty' ✓

'Valentine'

'Cozy Apologia'
Match the poem, taken from the Eduqas poetry anthology, to the figurative language used within the poem.

'Valentine'

⇔

an onion is used as an extended metaphor for love ✓

'Cozy Apologia'

⇔

the poet's lover is described as a knight-in-shining-armour ✓

'Dulce et Decorum Est'

⇔

gas is described as an ocean that chokes and drowns its victims ✓

'A Wife in London'

⇔

the image of a candle is used to represent lost hope ✓
Complete the quotation from 'A Wife in London': "'Tis the morrow; the ______ hangs thicker".

'fog' ✓
Match the poem, taken from the Eduqas poetry anthology, to its summary.

'Mametz Wood'

⇔

the story of the 38th Welsh division ✓

'A Wife in London'

⇔

an exploration of the impact of war on soldiers' loved ones ✓

'Living Space'

⇔

a celebration of the resourcefulness/resilience of slum communities ✓

'London'

⇔

a criticism of institutionalised power that limits individual autonomy ✓

'Dulce et Decorum Est'

⇔

a criticism of misleading propaganda and pre-war optimism ✓

Exit quiz

Which of the following is not a comparative connective?

furthermore ✓

however

similarly

whilst
What does the word 'insightful' mean?

using as few words as possible to express as much meaning as possible

showing a deep and personal understanding of something ✓

being deliberately vague about your opinion
Being ______ means using as few words as possible to express as much meaning as possible.

'concise' ✓
Which of these sentences is most concise?

Ben did not speak to his mother and he only saw his Dad once a week - sometimes.

Ben had a complicated relationship with his parents. ✓

Ben's relationship with his parents was confusing to other people.

Ben rarely saw his parents.
How can you make your introduction in an analytical piece clear and engaging?

Open with a thesis statement. ✓

Introduce yourself and explain why you are writing.

Explain who the speakers are in both poems and how this links to the poems.

Use comparative connectives to show connections between poems. ✓
How should context be included in an analytical response?

It should be attached to the end of your paragraph.

It should be used to support an argument. ✓

It should be accurate and specific. ✓

You should give as much contextual information as possible.

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

A good analytical response begins with a clear and concise thesis statement.
Comparative connectives can be used to link ideas together and explore connections between poems.
Quotations can be signposted with where they appear in the poem e.g. ‘in the final stanza’.
Analysis can focus on 'bigger' methods and then the effects of these methods.
Context should be used to support your argument.

Common misconception

Students often think that they need to 'zoom in' on every word when analysing a quotation.

Often, it can be useful to discuss the 'bigger' method that the poet is using e.g. their use of personification. By thinking about bigger methods, the students may be more focused on the themes of the poem and the poet's intentions.

Keywords

Insightful - perceptive - showing a deep and personal understanding of something.
Concise - using as few words as possible to express as much meaning as possible.
Comparative connectives - words that indicate the relationships between things - the patterns in them e.g. whilst, both, however.